Art
Subject Leader: Mr S Mortimore
Subject Leader Email Address: sean.mortimore@swale.at
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.
Edgar Degas
Subject overview
The art room is a space where students have the freedom to express their ideas and thoughts and to work creatively. Learning through, and about, the arts enriches the experience of studying whilst at school as well as preparing students for life after school. Our aim is to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, promoting resilience, confidence and independence, and to equip them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
Year 7
Term 1:
Developing students’ fundamental drawing skills with an emphasis on simplifying complex forms into a combination of spheres, cylinders and cubes.
Enquiry question Term 1:
How can artists make their drawings appear three dimensional?
Term 2:
Developing students' ability to shade a drawing in a realist manner through the use of a full range of tone.
Enquiry question Term 2:
How can artists make their drawings appear three-dimensional?
Term 3:
Introducing how students are expected to respond to the work of another artist by studying Georgia O'Keeffe.
Enquiry question Term 3:
How did Georgia O'Keeffe respond to still life?
Term 4:
Further development of students' ability to draw complex forms in a realist manner using pencil, and an introduction to painting.
Enquiry question Term 4:
How did Georgia O'Keeffe respond to still life?
Term 5:
Teaching students to mix tints and shades in line with their prior learning on tonal ladders. Students will learn how to blend paint to achieve a realist outcome in response to Georgia O'Keeffe.
Enquiry question Term 5:
How did Georgia O'Keeffe respond to still life?
Term 6:
Until now, students have worked exclusively with 2D materials. This will be their first opportunity to use clay to produce a 3D outcome inspired by the Day of the Dead.
Enquiry question T6:
Why and how do Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead?
Year 8
Term 1:
Students will be introduced to perspective drawing with a focus on 2-point perspective.
Enquiry Question Term 1:
How can artists use perspective in their work?
Term 2:
Transforming a 2D drawing into the 3D sculpture using a net.
Enquiry Question Term 2:
How can artists develop their drawings into three-dimensional models?
Term 3:
Developing drawing in the style of the Ancient Greek black figure technique.
Enquiry Question Term 3:
How can artists reinterpret the work of the past?
Term 4:
Improved skills in working with clay and painting techniques.
Enquiry question Term 4:
How can artists reinterpret the work of the past?
Term 5:
Atmospheric perspective drawing and painting.
Enquiry question Term 5:
How can artists use recycled materials to show they care about the environment?
Term 6:
Atmospheric perspective drawing and painting.
Enquiry question Term 6:
How can artists use recycled materials to show they care about the environment?
Year 9
Term 1:
Students will learn how to compose and shoot quality portrait photography.
Enquiry question Term 1:
How can artists use photography to produce an artwork?
Term 2:
Students will learn to use physical editing techniques to make a photo weave.
Enquiry question Term 2:
How can artists use photography to produce an artwork?
Term 3:
Realistic drawing techniques focused on portraiture.
Enquiry question Term 3:
How do artists respond to the theme of portraiture?
Term 4:
Enhanced colour theory and painting techniques; realist painting techniques.
Enquiry question Term 4:
How do artists respond to the theme of portraiture?
Term 5:
How to use basic printmaking techniques to make an outcome.
Enquiry question Term 5:
How were Pop artists inspired by popular culture?
Term 6:
How to use basic printmaking techniques to make an outcome.
Enquiry question Term 6:
How do artists produce a personal and meaningful body of work?
Year 10
Students in both Art and Photography initially explore the theme of ‘Fantastic and Strange’ in terms 1 - 3. This will be the work for their “mini project” which demonstrates their engagement with a range of materials, techniques and processes. They will then move on to the theme of ‘People, Places and Things’ for the remainder of their coursework (60% of final GCSE grade).
Why study this course?
This course aims to stretch and challenge all of our students’ creative abilities, allow them to work towards becoming proficient in a range of techniques, and gain a comprehensive understanding of critical and contextual sources. The course is designed to encourage students to personalise their projects and pursue their own interests by taking creative ownership of their practice. Our course is simultaneously rigorous and supportive so that students may achieve their full potential.
What does this course lead on to?
This course can lead to students accessing advanced level courses at A level and BTEC. We aim to equip our students with skills to pursue careers in the Arts - some of which are listed below:
Architect, Illustrator, StoryBoard Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Logo/Branding Designer, Art Conservationist, Special Effects Make-Up Artist, Stage/Set Designer, Art Teacher, Fine Artist, Tattoo Artist, Art Therapist, Museum/Gallery Curator, Concept Artist and Product Design.
Term 1:
Students will be introduced to the four assessment objectives by researching and responding to the work of Frida Kahlo. This will include a research page followed by a series of drawings and paintings in her style.
Enquiry question Term 1:
Fantastic and Strange: How can an artist be inspired by artists of the past to produce a personal and meaningful body of work?
Term 2:
Students will record their ideas in response to Frida Kahlo by making a drawing inspired by “The Wounded Deer” or “The Broken Column”. The drawing will then be developed into a sustained acrylic painting.
Enquiry question Term 2:
Fantastic and Strange: How can an artist record their observations and insights relevant to their intentions to produce a personal body of work?
Term 3:
Students will work towards a final response to Frida Kahlo. This will be a sustained painting, drawing or print in the style of Frida Kahlo.
Enquiry question Term 3:
Fantastic and Strange: How can an artist present a personal and meaningful response which realises their intentions?
Term 4:
Students will begin their sustained body of work based on the theme of, People, Places and Things. The theme has been selected to allow students the freedom to explore their own ideas and interests. During this term the students will focus on developing their initial ideas by researching the work of a chosen artist.
Enquiry question Term 4:
People, Places and Things: How can an artist develop their ideas through investigations and demonstrate a critical understanding of sources?
Term 5:
Students will focus on recording their initial ideas in response to their theme and chosen artist. This should include: taking their own photographs, making drawings and prints.
Enquiry question Term 5:
People, Places and Things: How can artists record their observations and insights relevant to intentions as their work progresses?
Term 6:
Students will develop their initial ideas by making sustained outcomes based on their work in the previous term. This may include a sustained acrylic painting, drawing or print in the style of their chosen artist.
Enquiry question Term 6:
People, Places and Things: How can artists refine their work by exploring ideas, and selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes?
Year 11
By the end of term 2, Year 11 students will conclude their non-externally set assignment worth 60% of their overall grade. They will then complete an externally set assignment for the remaining 40%. Students will develop the skills which they learned in Year 10 to achieve these aims.
What does this course lead on to?
This course can lead to students accessing advanced level courses at A level and BTEC. We aim to equip our students with skills to pursue careers in the Arts - some of which are listed below:
Architect, Illustrator, StoryBoard Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Logo/Branding Designer, Art Conservationist, Special Effects Make-Up Artist, Stage/Set Designer, Art Teacher, Fine Artist, Tattoo Artist, Art Therapist, Museum/Gallery Curator, Concept Artist and Product Design.
Term 1:
Students will be developing their ideas towards a final piece for their 60% coursework project and will eclectically need to focus on the 4 assessment objectives. At this stage the students should start to refine their initial ideas and work towards a final piece. This can be achieved through purposeful experiments inspired by their chosen artists.
Enquiry Question Term 1:
People, Places and Things: How can artists present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language?
Term 2:
Students will work through a series of final experiments as they work towards a final piece. The experiments should include expanded sections, enlarged versions of their initial ideas and material experiments to become proficient in their chosen technique i.e. painting.
Enquiry Question Term 2:
People, Places and Things: How can artists present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language?
Term 3:
Students will start their externally set assignment which is worth 40% of their overall grade. AQA publishes a booklet which contains 8 possible themes which the students are required to choose from as the basis for their projects. The students typically have 14 weeks to complete an entirely new project in this time which meets all of the assessment objectives which were previously covered in their coursework component. All students will begin their new projects by mind mapping initial ideas, identifying an artist which they will research and collecting relevant source material.
Enquiry Question Term 3:
Externally set assignment: How can an artist develop their ideas through investigations demonstrating critical understanding of sources?
Term 4:
Students will be focused on developing their initial ideas using the source material which they collected previously. They will need to make drawings, paintings, prints and/or sculptures in the style of their chosen artists. Their outcomes should be critically evaluated using the writing guides provided.
Enquiry Question Term 4:
Externally set assignment: How can artists record their observations and insights relevant to intentions as their work progresses?
Term 5:
Students will refine their initial ideas through a series of artistic experiments. This should include: expanded sections of their initial ideas, close ups, background experiments and material experiments to become proficient in their favoured technique. Students need to complete a final piece during a 10 hour exam over two days.
Enquiry Question Term 5:
Externally set assignment: How can artists refine their work by exploring ideas, and selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes?
Term 6:
Subject concluded.
Sixth Form
In the first three terms, Year 12 A level Art students will focus on building skills. Students will acquire and develop technical skills through working with a broad range of media, materials, techniques, processes and technologies with purpose and intent. They will engage in a mini project, exploring the theme of “The Human Form” that will teach students how to effectively meet the four assessment objectives.
Students will begin their own personal investigation in term 5 through until term 3 of Year 13. All students are required to write a 1000 - 3000 word essay to support their work as it progresses.
Students will be able to select a new theme/starting point of interest or may even decide to continue to develop their Identity project in term 5. They will need to ensure that they meet all four assessment objectives. Students will work on their personal investigation until term 3 of Year 13 when they will begin the externally set examination.
Why study this course?
This course aims to stretch and challenge all of our students’ creative abilities, allow them to work towards becoming proficient in a range of techniques, and gain a comprehensive understanding of critical and contextual sources. The course is designed to encourage students to personalise their projects and pursue their own interests by taking creative ownership of their practice. Our course is simultaneously rigorous and supportive so that students may achieve their full potential.
What does this course lead on to?
This course can lead to students accessing degree level courses. We aim to equip our students with skills to pursue careers in the Arts - some of which are listed below:
Architect, Illustrator, StoryBoard Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Logo/Branding Designer, Art Conservationist, Special Effects Make-Up Artist, Stage/Set Designer, Art Teacher, Fine Artist, Tattoo Artist, Art Therapist, Museum/Gallery Curator, Concept Artist and Product Design.
Term 1 Year 12:
Students will be reminded of the 4 assessment objectives which they covered in GCSE. The first scheme of work focuses on the acquisition of enhanced skills through workshop based lessons. Artists will study Human Form whilst photographers will focus on Identity.
Enquiry Question Term 1:
Identity/Human Form: How can an artist's choice of materials inform their practice?
Term 2 Year 12:
Students in Art will continue to experiment with a range of materials and techniques through workshop based lessons. This will be focused on oil painting and printmaking. Photography students will experiment with physical editing processes and darkroom techniques.
Enquiry Question Term 2:
Identity/Human Form: How can artists record their observations and insights relevant to intentions as their work progresses?
Term 3 Year 12:
Art students will be focused on advanced oil painting techniques such as underpainting, glazing and scumbling. Photography students will continue to refine their understanding of digital editing techniques through the use of PhotoShop. At this stage both Photography and Art students will read and discuss “Ways of Seeing” by John Berger.
Enquiry Question Term 3:
Identity/Human Form: How can an artist present a personal and meaningful response which realises their intentions?
Term 4 Year 12:
Having completed their workshop based lessons the students will now start their personal investigations. This is a new project based on a theme of their choosing. They should then begin to generate initial research material through mind maps, mood boards, and artist research. Upon completion, the students should begin to record their initial ideas through photographs, drawings and annotations.
Enquiry Question Term 4:
Personal Investigation: How can an artist develop their ideas through investigations demonstrating critical understanding of sources?
Term 5 Year 12:
Having completed their initial research the students should have an initial idea for their projects. They should record their ideas through photographs, drawings and written annotations. They will then develop their initial ideas through experiments with their preferred material, technique or process to make a series of outcomes.
Enquiry Question Term 5:
Personal Investigation: How can artists record their observations and insights relevant to intentions as their work progresses?
Term 6 Year 12:
Having completed their initial experiments the students will work towards developing their initial ideas in the developed designs in preparation for a final piece. These experiments will include: enlarged sections of their initial designs, background experiments and material experiments to become proficient in their favoured technique.
Enquiry Question Term 6:
Personal Investigation: How can artists refine their work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes?
Term 1 Year 13:
Students will be working towards the development of their ideas as they work towards a final piece for their coursework unit. This should include material experiments which aim to help the student to gain greater skill in their chosen outcome.
Enquiry Question Term 1:
Personal Investigation: How can artists present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language?
Term 2 Year 13:
Students will be focusing on working towards the completion of their 60% coursework unit by making a final piece. This should demonstrate a proficiency in their chosen material, technique or process and show critical engagement with the meaning behind their work.
Enquiry Question Term 2:
Personal Investigation: How can artists present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language?
Term 3 Year 13:
Year 13 students will be set their externally set assignment by AQA. Similarly to the GCSE, students will need to select one of eight themes from the booklet. All students will have fourteen weeks to complete this component of their course. They should then begin to generate initial research material through mind maps, mood boards, artist research and drawings.
Enquiry Question Term 3:
Externally set assignment: How can an artist develop their ideas through investigations demonstrating critical understanding of sources?
Term 4 Year 13:
At this stage the students should have developed an initial idea based on their research tasks. All students should record their ideas through photographs, drawings and annotations. These initial ideas should be developed into more substantial pieces using the student’s favoured material, technique or process. All of their outcomes should be critically evaluated through written annotation.
Enquiry Question Term 4:
Externally set assignment: How can artists record their observations and insights relevant to intentions as their work progresses?
Term 5 Year 13:
Year 13 students will now be refining their ideas towards a final piece. This will be produced over a 15 hour exam divided over three days. The students should complete any final experiments or developmental pieces in preparation for this exam.
Enquiry Question Term 5:
Externally set assignment: How can artists refine their work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes?
Term 6 Year 13:
All students will be working towards their 15 hour exam and will need to complete their final designs based on their previous work. A successful final piece will demonstrate the student’s artistic journey and proficiency in their chosen material, technique or process.
Enquiry Question Term 6:
Externally set assignment: How can artists present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language?